Epson America has added a new A3 color multifunction model to its lineup of high-capacity, low-cost Supertank business inkjet printers.
Available immediately, the WorkForce ST-C8090 ships with three sets of ink bottles. According to Epson, that’s enough to print 19,500 mono pages and 14,800 color pages.
“In most cases, there’s enough ink in the box to cover about two years of printing,” says Alan Chen, product manager for business desktop inkjet printing at Epson.
Should buyers have even higher capacity requirements, however, the two-year ink guarantee Epson offers for all Supertank devices reimburses users in full for up to two additional sets of bottles—enough to handle 12,000 color pages—within 24 months of purchase. “You’re actually getting potentially thousands more pages without any additional costs,” Chen says. Additional refills sell for $29.99 per black bottle and $22.99 for color bottles.
All of that, according to Epson, adds up to a cost per page of roughly 2 cents per color ISO sheet, which the company says is about 60% less than what comparably priced color laser printers deliver.
Including ink with the new printer benefits resellers too, according to Chen, by allowing them to command higher average selling prices and avoid competing with online retailers and office supply superstores for ink revenue after purchase. “It helps our channel capture all of that ink revenue upfront,” he says.
WorkForce ST-C8090 printers sell for a $1,499 MSRP.
The new device supports up to 11″ x 17″ paper in its two trays, and can accommodate up to 13″ x 19″ paper through its rear feed slot. That’s big enough for restaurants to print disposable menu placemats, Chen observes, citing an anticipated use case. “A standard 8.5 x 11 sheet wouldn’t really be able to print a placemat,” he says.
The WorkForce ST-C8090 prints up to 25 mono or color ISO pages per minute, and issues the first page of print jobs in an average of 4.5 seconds. Average print time for the first page of a copy job is 13.5 seconds. Total capacity is 550 sheets.
Connection options include USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. WPA2 security, postscript and PCL drivers, and support for the Epson Open Platform are all standard as well. Users can print from smartphones and tablets via Epson’s mobile app.
According to Epson, the WorkForce ST-C8090 has the lowest power consumption in its class, which should make it an attractive option for battery-powered mobile printer carts in warehouses. The unit’s compact footprint, Epson further believes, will drive appeal in the retail and hospitality verticals, as well as with architecture and engineering firms that have limited desk space yet regularly print large-format charts and diagrams.
Work-from-home and study-from-home users are target markets too. “We’ve heard lots of complaints about companies and schools sending printers home, but when the ink runs out it’s sort of up to the end user to find more.” Chen says. “It could be expensive.”
WorkForce ST-C8090 printers are covered by a two-year limited warranty. Users get one year of complimentary enrollment in Epson’s Preferred Plus Premium support program, which provides next business day replacement units, followed by a complimentary year of coverage through the Preferred Plus Standard program
“They UPS in the device and we’ll repair it if we can,” Chen explains. “If we can’t, we’ll return a replacement unit.” Epson covers shipping costs in both programs.
Users can upgrade from Standard to Premium in year two for $169.99, and can purchase up to three years of extension coverage at either level.
Global printer shipments grew 19.3% year over year in the first quarter of 2021 to approximately 25.5 million units worth $10.9 billion, according to IDC. Epson has seen brisk sales of business inkjet models in particular.
“Demand has certainly spiked,” Chen says. “We’re actually seeing that even as things return to normal, the demand has remained very high.”
